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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

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Original poster

What age should kittens go outside?

30 replies

Strawberrytraveller · 16/10/2018 09:10

Our kittens are almost 6 months old now. They will hopefully be spayed and neutered by the end of the month.

Now when we got them from the rehoming centre at 10 weeks they said to make sure they stay inside whilst small. Which we confirmed they would until they were fully vaccinated and neutered etc, and once big enough they could start going out.

The lady said yes, but also once ok to go outside they shouldn't go out alone until much bigger ie next spring and summer. They were born in April, so ''next spring or summer'' would make them 1 year+ before allowed outside alone.

is this correct? or over cautious?

By the time they are neutered, plus a few weeks to fully recover etc indoors they will be more like 7+ months old. I was planning on then adding a cat flap and letting them come and go as they please during the day, and try to keep them in overnight. We also work from home so around a lot to let them in and out. By November time it will also be getting cold where we live so I doubt they will be rushing to stay outside long

OP posts:

MyCatIsBonkers · 16/10/2018 09:16

Mine went out once they were neutered and vaccinated. At first in short bursts with the door open so he could flee inside if a leaf chased him. He didn't use the cat flap until he discovered it himself (watching older cat) a few weeks later.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 16/10/2018 09:22

Our most recent kittens started going outside (with us initially) at 4-5 months - they had been fully ''jabbed' and had already been neutered.
Keeping them in for the best part of a year sounds daft to me. As soon as they are neutered they can go out.

Original poster

Strawberrytraveller · 16/10/2018 09:35

Great. Its good to hear that 7+ months isnt daft.

Our house has lots of doors outside in the style it is built, so it has already been a challenge keeping them closed throughout the hot summer. And its a pain trying to get into the garden ourselves whilst prevent small escapees

OP posts:

ifonly4 · 16/10/2018 11:08

My two were already neutered when they came to us, so we kept them in for a month and let them out at just under six months. I tried make sure I was with them the first 10 days, but in reality that's not practical as they want to stay out, and you're either cold or need to do other things.

I showed Boris the cat flap the other day, and within 24 he got the hang of it. Ollie is clearly a fair weather cat and not interested in the cat flap at all! Luckily we have 6ft fence and I've managed to seal off any low gaps, so that's meant they've stayed in the garden so far.

EachandEveryone · 16/10/2018 11:44

I was nearly a year with my first as I think the cold Winter helped. The next one I got to 7 months which felt right to me. Someone told me that are like toddlers at that age so I was probably over cautious

viccat · 16/10/2018 12:04

Why would you not take the advice given by the person at the rescue?

Younger cats are at more risk in general as they are a bit 'crazy' and don't know their limits yet. RTA victims tend to be younger rather than older cats. Add to that dark, short days, bad weather, and fireworks that seem to go on from Halloween til New Year, it's really not the ideal conditions to just let them roam...

Original poster

Strawberrytraveller · 16/10/2018 12:27

viccat - Because everyone else locally seems to have let their cats out from 4+ months, and they already think its slightly mad they are still indoors. The lady we got them from was the 'baby and pregnant cats' part of the rehoming place. Had we got them now at 6 months their advice is the general keep in just 3 weeks.

We have around 1 acre garden, so none of it is fenced off, only by low hedges. So once they go out they will be able to easily leave our garden as its not easy to prevent. The road outside leads to a dead end, so although there is cars going past, its people to their own homes, rather than any through traffic which limits it. Its a 30km zone which generally is stuck to as its narrow and well a dead end.

Im not planning on just throwing them out. Its just it would be easier once we can leave the door open to go in and out ourselves for example with wood for the fire or shopping without having to do the whole stop the kitten process. They can stay in if they choose

OP posts:

hartof · 16/10/2018 13:27

My kitten is just 6 months, hes been neutred since August but we haven't let him out. He is a bit of a daft thing, recently he has started trying to escape (and has been successful a few times!) he doesn't further than under our cars. But I'm not letting him out at the moment, its dark and wet and its firework season. I feel a bit mean but we take him on his harness and he enjoys that - but he does come in and cry at the door or window!

Dumbledoresgirl · 16/10/2018 13:31

My youngest came to me as a stray at circa 4-5 months. He was neutered and had had all his jabs by 6 months. This was at Christmas. He went outside straightaway, cold winter weather notwithstanding. Maybe because he had been a stray and already knew about the outside world, plus I already had 2 cats with the freedom to go out, but he was champing at the bit to go out.

I did make sure he was in at night though, for a few weeks anyway.

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 16/10/2018 13:42

Viccat - mine would have gone stir crazy if I hadn't started to let them out when I did and they had become master escapologists anyway.

I'm also convinced that cats are far happier having access to the outside world.

Also the general advice given (e.g. Blue Cross, Battersea, my vet) is at 5 or 6 months so I would see no reason to go against this.

ifonly4 - love the name 'Boris' for a cat

SpoonBlender · 16/10/2018 16:41

We've always waited until they're done and healed up. Keeping them in longer would be purposeless.

Dollymixture22 · 16/10/2018 21:05

My kitten is being spayed at six months - which will be late November.

It will be cold by the time she has fully recovered. So I will only be letting her out when it’s dry and in the middle of the day.

I have a controllable microchiped flap so I will be monitoring her coming and goings through the app and will be able to lock the cat flap when she comes back in!

I think as long as they aren’t out at night and are initially supervised it’s okay to let them out from about six to seven months.

Original poster

Strawberrytraveller · 18/10/2018 08:50

Thank you.

Regarding catflaps. I have been looking at the 'Sure flap' microchip cat flaps. From what I can gather they are fairly similiar. Is there an advantage of one over the other?

I think I'm swayed towards the slightly bigger one, which i think allows a curfew to be set

OP posts:

Dollymixture22 · 18/10/2018 11:54

I haven’t started using mine yet so can’t give much advice. I got the connect so I can lock the door remotely.

On size - I think the larger ones can be use for small dogs too.

ifonly4 · 18/10/2018 15:32

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats - Boris was given his name by Cats Protection, but as soon as we saw him we all agreed he was Boris.

He's loving the outdoors, in and out like a yoyo. At teatime we're having to put a board over cat flap and move a settee to stop him bashing his head against the flap to go back out. All he wants to do is sit on the patio, but would rather he was inside at night especially with Halloween/Bonfire night come up.

They're been going out nearly three weeks now and made no attempt to climb the fence - yet.

Original poster

Strawberrytraveller · 18/10/2018 16:14

After this thread, one of our kittens escaped out of our side door after the plumber has been today!
Dh and I assumed the door had been closed after he left, but it was just lightly pulled to. I was sitting in our conservatory part when he wandered past the window outside looking mightily confused as to why I was inside and him out. Luckily he came straight back to me when I went outside to retrieve him

OP posts:

SpoonBlender · 18/10/2018 16:39

Haha! That's a good sign :)

There are two sorts of chip controlled Sureflap, we've got the cheaper type and MIL has the DualScan with the stepped shape top. Dualscan controls both entry and exit by chip, great if you have one indoors one outdoors cat. Ours just controls entry by chip and exit is controlled with a physical twist lock.

MIL's DualScan lasts a lot longer on batteries than ours, 9 months vs 3 months, so trade that off against the £15 price diff. Although MIL only has one cat, we have three and they like to sit there looking out the "window" making the flap go ticktick, ticktick, ticktick so maybe that's why our batteries die quicker...

vanitythynameisnotwoman · 18/10/2018 19:09

My boycat was born April 2017. He still doesn't stay out at night. He's too stupid
But I work part time and I let him out when I was home post neutering is around a year ago now, and with me at first. The vet said it's like children and road safety (except, thankfully, faster!) - you don't hand your 5 year old the car keys. By the time he was one I was leaving him out the whole day when I was at work. He's a total home body though. He'd probably be happy ish as a house cat. My older girl is a real outdoorsy cat. Opposite to the stereotypes in most rescue centres that home cats of her age as house cats.

Your plan sounds sensible enough to me OP.

Fluffycloudland77 · 18/10/2018 20:39

Mines never been out overnight.

flapjackfairy · 18/10/2018 20:51

Oh I am struggling so much with this as I took a young cat off a friend who insisted he was a happy indoor cat.
We live on a main road and he has turned out to be desperate to escape and has tried to climb out of an upstairs window already and I don't know whether to admit defeat and let him out or not !
It is v stressful this cat owning business !

Dollymixture22 · 18/10/2018 21:02

I think if they are desperate to escape they eventually will - so it’s best they know the surrounding area and how to get back in.

My kitten had only been outside supervised until a few weeks ago she made up it out an upstairs window!! I panicked and was running around the house looking for her her when I hear desperate little cries at the back door. She had been put before a few times with me so knew he back door. Can’t open any windows now until she is spayed!!!

fenneltea · 19/10/2018 17:21

flapjackfairy How long have you had your cat?

It may be that he hasn't settled in his new home and needs more time, you don't want to let him out and him trying to find his way back to his old home and ending up lost.

flapjackfairy · 19/10/2018 21:19

He has been here a good few months now and is well settled. We have a big back garden and live up some steps so as long as he stays at the back he is fine but he has taken to wandering round the front though not gone near the road. It is such a dilemma as he loved going out and is desperate to get out whenever he can but if anything happens I will be blaming myself of course .
Is it
We cannot catproof the garden sadly as that would be the ideal solution

fenneltea · 19/10/2018 21:34

Ah right, he should be fine to let out if you want to, but as you say it's such a difficult decision. I have three that are indoor cats that are happy to go into a catio for their outdoors fix, and three that go outdoors, they wouldn't settle as indoor cats. Hopefully the weather getting worse for winter will stop any wanderings!

Howhot · 19/10/2018 21:38

I wouldn't let one under a year out. Our local rescue sent me this to give you an idea of their maturity.

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